SANAA’s viewpoint of the palm groves of Elche

The reflective path may have missed the top spot at international competition of “mirador del palmeral de elche” (Spain) by a whisker, but the runner-up project by Japanese architectural firm SANAA has everything to take you by wonder. Intending toward enhancing the palm groves of Elche, a UNESCO world heritage site, in the lines of the agricultural palm Arabic tradition, the reflective path ripples through the palm trees and spirals up into the sky, which presents a breathtaking view of the palmeral and the Valencia City to the visitors from 64m up in the sky.
Comprised with two primary elements connected at one point, the first, a horizontal ramp that moves from ground level up to 22m, moving visitors through 770m long quiet route surrounded by the trees, and the second, a 584m spiraling staircase that rises up to 64m in the sky to reveal the landscape of the palmeral, the reflective path creates a new kind of observation tower that lets the visitors experience a changing landscape.